Jerusalem: Israeli troops shot dead a Palestinian teenager and wounded four others as they returned from a swimming pool Tuesday after apparently mistaking them for stone-throwers, sparking outrage and drawing renewed attention to open fire rules.
Palestinian officials harshly condemned the shooting, saying the 15-year-old was "murdered" while travelling in a car with two brothers and two other teenagers in the occupied West Bank.
Circumstances surrounding the incident were unclear and the Israeli army was investigating, but the military said in a stark admission that it appeared those shot were "uninvolved bystanders."
The army said the overnight shooting followed stone-throwing at cars along a road that cuts through the West Bank for several miles on its way from Jerusalem to Tel Aviv.
Israeli media reported two foreigners and one Israeli wounded by stone-throwing. The stone-throwers were also said to have hurled firebombs at passing cars and poured oil on the road.
Israeli soldiers responded and opened fire on what they believed to be suspects, the army said, killing 15-year-old Mahmoud Rafat Badran and wounding the four others. Two people were arrested, the military said.
The Israeli army initially released a statement saying that troops shot two people "after a number of Palestinians hurled rocks and Molotov cocktails at moving vehicles near the village of Beit Sira on route 443".
"An initial review suggests that as the mob continued, nearby forces acted in order to protect the additional passing vehicles from immediate danger and fired towards the assailants," the statement said.
"Forces confirmed hits resulting in the death of one of the attackers."
Later, the army revised its account, saying that "from initial inquiry, it appears uninvolved bystanders were mistakenly hit during the pursuit," a spokeswoman said.
Asked by AFP whether that included the person killed, she said yes, as well as those wounded.
During the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, residents often go out and socialise late into the night following the end of the daytime fast.
Palestine Liberation Organisation secretary general Saeb Erekat condemned the shooting in a statement that said the teenagers were returning "from a visit to the only nearby swimming pool."
Erekat said Badran had been "murdered" and called it a "cold-blooded assassination."
'War' on stone-throwers
Israel's response to Palestinian stone-throwers has been the subject of debate, with rightwing politicians calling for looser open-fire rules and human rights groups warning of the dangers of such policies.
In September, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed "war" on stone-throwers with tougher penalties and new rules for security forces on when to open fire.
Lawmakers later voted to impose a minimum three-year jail sentence on stone-throwers.
Netanyahu made the comments after a 64-year-old Israeli man died in an accident Israeli authorities said was caused by Palestinian stone-throwing.
The incident preceded a wave of Palestinian unrest that began in October and which has included knife, gun and car-ramming attacks.
Violence since October has killed at least 209 Palestinians, 32 Israelis, two Americans, an Eritrean and a Sudanese.
Israeli authorities say most of the Palestinians were killed as they carried out knife, gun or car-ramming attacks.
Others were killed in clashes with security forces or by Israeli air strikes in the Gaza Strip.
Home demolition
Also on Tuesday, Israeli forces demolished the home of a Palestinian who killed a US tourist and wounded several Israelis in a March stabbing rampage in Tel Aviv.
An army spokeswoman said the Palestinian carried out the March 8 seafront knife attacks which killed 29-year-old Texan Taylor Allen Force and wounded at least 10 Israelis as US Vice President Joe Biden arrived for a visit.
The Palestinian was shot dead during the attack.
Netanyahu has expedited home demolitions of Palestinian attackers in a bid to deter violence. Human rights groups say the measure amounts to collective punishment, forcing families to suffer for the acts of others.
Peace negotiations between the Israelis and Palestinians have been at a standstill since a US-led initiative collapsed in April 2014.
In a bid to revive the moribund peace process, France is seeking to convene an international peace conference later this year.
A meeting of European Union foreign ministers in Luxembourg on Monday voiced support for the project, although Israel reiterated its objections, calling instead for direct negotiations.
Palestinian leaders have welcomed the French effort.
